17–18/9
Rumiko Otsuka “Death and Life of Mr. O”

Dancing japanese businessmen

Japan is a country where strong traditions blend with modern life. At this intersection of old and new we find the Japanese salaryman (サラリーマン, sararīman), an office worker who is deeply loyal to his job and prioritizes the company he works for over family and personal life.

Rumiko Otsuka’s father was a salaryman and in this performance she uses dance to try to understand and relate to his life of sacrifice and duty, to investigate the businessman. Dreams, struggles and grief blends with vulnerability and a chance for the audience to face and challenge their own prejudice.

Rumiko Otsuka is a dancer and choreographer based in Malmö. She trained at Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Arnhem and has worked with Skånes Dansteater, Norrdans and Memory Wax, among others. She is also part of dance collective Nya Rörelsen. In Inkonst she has previously shown her performance Hej då Campanella. She regularly works with dancers in Tokyo and runs the dance school Rum i Dans. 

Direction, choreography: Rumiko Otsuka  | Direction, video, set design & sound: Kunihiko Matsuo | Dance: Rumiko Otsuka | Technical director, sound engineer: Silas Bieri | Set design: Marta Cicionesi | Photo: Alexis Rodríguez Cancino

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